Here is the special thread completely devoted to all film casting and development updates. Please feel free to comment and add the lastest information for April, 2009.
WB digs 'Dumped' for Steve Carell Vic Levin to adapt Andrew Gottlieb novel
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Warner Bros. has acquired "Dumped," a comedy Vic Levin will adapt as a star vehicle for Steve Carell based on a novel by Andrew Gottlieb.
Carell would play a man searching for new meaning in his life after his wife abruptly files for divorce.
Carell and his Carousel Production partners Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock would produce.
Project becomes one of several potential comedies that are percolating since Carell berthed Carousel in a first-look WB deal. The company is also developing "Hi-T," in which Carell would play a man who begins taking testosterone injections after an injury leaves him deprived of the chemical, only to find his moods swing uncontrollably.
Carousel is also developing an untitled comic vehicle for Carell's "The Office" co-star Ed Helms to play a Civil War reenactor/history buff who gets accidentally transported back to the Civil War with three buddies who have to find a way home without altering history. Helms wrote the script with Jacob Fleisher.
Carell next stars with Tina Fey in the Shawn Levy-directed Fox comedy "Date Night," and he is expected to next reprise his Maxwell Smart role in a Pete Segal-directed "Get Smart" sequel for WB next spring.
Levin is attached to direct his script "5 to 7," with Julie Lynn producing.
Kevin Spacey parents 'Father' film Oscar winner to produce, star in indie comedy
By TATIANA SIEGEL
Kevin Spacey will star in and produce the indie comedy "Father of Invention."
Trent Cooper ("Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector") will direct from a script he penned with Jonathan Krane and Nichole Beattie.
Story centers on a humble inventor-turned-egomaniacal billionaire who loses it all when one of his inventions goes horribly awry. After eight years in federal prison, he returns bankrupt, homeless and determined to rebuild his reputation and fortune.
Trigger Street Prods.' Spacey and Dana Brunetti are producing alongside Krane ("Swordfish") and Ken Barbet. Scott Lumpkin exec produces.
Spacey has several films in the can, including "Men Who Stare at Goats," alongside George Clooney; "Telstar"; and "Shrink."
Trigger Street's producing credits include the films "21" and "Fanboys" and the smallscreen pics "Bernard and Doris" and "Recount."
Will Arnett and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon are boarding "Jonah Hex," Warner Bros. and Legendary's action Western based on the DC Comics character.
Jimmy Hayward is directing "Hex," whose cast also includes Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox. It's the story of Hex (Brolin), a scarred bounty hunter tracking a voodoo practitioner (Malk¬ovich) who wants to raise an army of the undead to liberate the South.
Arnett will play a Union soldier who enlists Hex and is blindsided by the dirty fighting style of his enemies. The role is not inherently comic.
Shannon plays Doc Cross Williams, the bizarre ringleader of a brutal gladiator circus event. The character might appear in sequels.
Legendary is co-producing and co-financing the pic, which is due to start production this month in Louisiana.
Arnett, repped by Endeavor and Principato Young Entertainment, voices the Missing Link in DreamWorks Animation's hit "Monsters vs. Aliens" and will appear in "When In Rome" with Kristen Bell and the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced "G-Force," both from Disney. He is one of the voices in Fox's "Sit Down, Shut Up" animated series and is working on a 2010 pilot for Fox.
Shannon received an Oscar nomination for "Revolutionary Road." Repped by CAA and manager Byron Wetzel, the actor recently completed filming Werner Herzog's "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done."
Warner Bros. and Legendary are beginning to line up their titans.
Mads Mikkelsen, Gemma Arterton and Alexa Davalos are boarding "Clash of the Titans," the Greek-god epic being directed by Louis Leterrier.
Sam Worthington is toplining as Perseus, who is put on a quest to save a princess and defeat Hades, the god of hell. Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay wrote the script.
Mikkelsen is playing Draco, a skilled fighter and leader of the Praetorian Guard that accompanies Perseus.
Davalos is Andromeda, the captured princess, and Arterton is Io, who is instrumental in bringing the winged horse Pegasus to Perseus.
Legendary is co-producing and co-financing the pic, which is set to begin lensing in the U.K. at the end of April. Thunder Road's Basil Iwanyk is producing with Kevin de la Noy. Jon Jashni and Thomas Tull are executive producing.
Lynn Harris and Matt Milam are overseeing for Warners.
Mikkelsen, one of Denmark's most recognizable faces, is best known to American audiences for his role of the villain in "Casino Royale." Repped by UTA and Danish agent Ulrich Moller-Jorgensen, the actor stars in Eurowide Film's "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky."
Arterton, who appeared in the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace," next appears in Richard Curtis' "The Boat That Rocked" and opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Disney's "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time." She is repped by UK's Independent Talent Group.
ICM-repped Davalos was most recently seen in "Defiance." Other credits include "The Mist," "Feast of Love" and "The Chronicles of Riddick."
Laura Linney also is joining Leland Orser's indie film
By Gregg Kilday
Jeanne Tripplehorn will star in the indie feature "Morning," which will mark the directorial debut of her husband, Leland Orser, who wrote the original screenplay.
Laura Linney also is joining the cast, which includes Elliott Gould, Kyle Chandler, Julie White, Jason Ritter, Charlie McDermott and Orser.
In the film, Tripplehorn will play a mother mourning the loss of her child, while Linney will appear as a grief counselor.
Todd Traina and Minor Childers are producing through their Red Rover Films with Fries Film Group, whose principals, Jon Fries and Charles Fries, will serve as exec producers.
The feature was developed from a short Orser wrote and directed.
Principal photography will begin this month in Los Angeles.
Linney is repped by ICM and Brillstein Entertainment. Tripplehorn is repped by Gersh and Brillstein. Orser is repped by Gersh and the Burnstein Co.
Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana eyeing comic book adaptation
By Borys Kit
Idris Elba and Zoe Saldana are in negotiations to be part of "The Losers," Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures' adaptation of the Vertigo/DC Comics book. Sylvain White is directing.
The actors will join Jeffrey Dean Morgan for the action film, which follows a Special Forces team betrayed by its handler and left for dead. The "losers" regroup in the interest of revenge, the opportunity to remove their names from a secret CIA death list and to conduct covert operations against the CIA and its interests.
Elba will play a character named Roque, the group's scarred second-in-command who is motivated by money. Saldana will be Aisha, a cold-blooded loose cannon.
Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt worked on the script. Gregory Noveck is overseeing for DC. Jessica Goodman is overseeing for Warners.
ICM-repped Elba, who recently appeared in "The Office" and "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," is best known for his work on HBO's "The Wire." His feature work includes "RocknRolla" and "American Gangster."
Saldana, repped by ICM, stars in the new "Star Trek" movie, in which she portrays Uhura, and is starring in James Cameron's "Avatar."
Troubling details of Nolan’s ‘Shadow of the Bat’ revealed
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:34 am · April 1st, 2009
I really don’t know what to say about this. I understand Christopher Nolan is a progressive artist, a guy who understands both the necessity of shunning convention and the idea that what one may expect isn’t always the best solution. He’s proven it time and again with the films in his re-booted Batman franchise, starting at the top with a story that involved a villain largely unknown to the masses. He brought in Heath Ledger in a move some thought a bit too outside-the-box, and boy were they wrong.
But bringing Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher on as creative producing figures? Having the gall to cast Carrey as the Riddler again (even though I’m strangely okay with sticking to the one-major-villain-per-film paradigm)? I’d follow Nolan to the ends of the earth, but even I can’t go along with his creative reasoning here, which sounds like the whims of a mad man. I mean, I dig the title (which a lot of us saw coming). It’s a nice nod to an extinct series of books. But the rest of it…I just…
From Variety:
Warner Brothers’ Batman franchise will take a third bow in the summer of 2012.
“Shadow of the Bat,” the sequel to 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” will introduce quiz-master villain the Riddler to audiences for a third time after the character appeared in the 1960s television series and 1995’s “Batman Forever.” Funny man Jim Carrey has been tapped to reprise the role in “Shadow,” while helmers Joel Schumacher and Tim Burton, the filmmakers behind the Caped Crusader’s first theatrical franchise, have been brought on as consultants to the production, which director Christopher Nolan says will be his final take on Gotham City.
“I felt it novel to tie this third and final chapter to the character’s roots on the screen,” Nolan said. “Tim and Joel had two completely different visions of the Batman, visions that contrast vastly with my own. But I don’t feel that negates the possibility of a creative convergence. Batman is more than the ideas of one person, of one team of artists. He is the result of seven decades of pop culture influence and innovation.”
WB is eying a May 2012 release date for the film to coincide with the 73rd anniversary of Batman’s first comic book appearance in 1939.
Nolan begins shooting his latest film, “Inception,” with Leonardo DiCaprio later this year for a 2010 release.
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Amaury Nolasco has joined the cast of "The Rum Diary," Bruce Robinson's adaptation of the Hunter S. Thompson novel.
Johnny Depp toplines the movie, which began production this week in Puerto Rico. The cast also includes Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Rispoli.
Nolasco plays Segurra, the son of the biggest cement-plant owner on the island.
"Diary" is the debut film of Infinitum Nihil, the production company headed by Depp and Christi Dembrowski.
The film also is produced and fully financed by Graham King and his production company GK Films. Anthony Rhulen and Robert Kravis also are attached to produce.
Nolasco, best known for TV's "Prison Break," has appeared in "Transformers" and "Max Payne" and next appears in "Armored," which comes out in the fall.
Chris Cooper also in talks to join John Wells' drama film
By Borys Kit
Rosemarie DeWitt is slated to be one of "The Company Men," John Wells' downsizing drama that Chris Cooper also is in negotiations to join.
The actress, who broke through with her performance in last year's "Rachel Getting Married," will appear with the Oscar-nominated Cooper opposite Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner in the pic written and being directed by Wells.
The script revolves around a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing.
DeWitt will play Affleck's wife. Cooper is a blue-collar worker losing his job.
Claire Rudnick Polstein and Paula Weinstein are producing the indie drama, which is due to begin shooting this month in Boston.
DeWitt, repped by Gersh and Wishlab, is one of the stars of Showtime's "United States of Tara" and also did a stint on "Mad Men."
The Paradigm-repped Cooper has "New York, I Love You" coming out in September.
The writer-director has added seven-time winner Gladys Knight and gospel performance winner Marvin Winans to the cast of his latest film, "I Can Do Bad All by Myself." Perry already had cast Mary J. Blige, who's got nine Grammy statuettes on her mantel.
"CSI: Miami" star Adam Rodriguez also has come on board the Lionsgate project.
Perry, Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson, Brian White, Hope Olaide Wilson, Kwesi Nii-Lante Boakye and Frederick Siglar also will appear in Perry's adaptation of one of his early plays. The story line follows what happens when Perry's iconic Madea character discovers a 16-year-old girl (Wilson) and her brothers looting her home and sends them to live with their Aunt April (Henson), a hard-drinking nightclub singer.
Knight will play Wilma, a kind of matriarch of the neighborhood and singer at Marshall Baptist Church, where Madea also circulates. Knight, Winans and Blige all will sing in the film, with Blige performing an original song penned by Ne-Yo.
Production is under way at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta for a Sept. 11 release.
Knight, repped by WMA and Jay D. Schwartz & Associates, recently cameoed on the NBC's "30 Rock." She last appeared on the big screen in "Hollywood Homicide."
Rodriguez, repped by Global Artists Agency and A Management Co., was a regular on "Roswell" and "Brooklyn South."
New Line finds its Freddy Krueger Jackie Earle Haley joins 'Elm Street'
by Dave McNary
Jackie Earle Haley is going to Elm Street, signing to star as iconic killer Freddy Krueger in New Line and Platinum Dunes' relaunch of "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are producing with John Ricard co-producing. Samuel Bayer will direct from Wesley Strick's script, with lensing set to begin next month in Chicago.
New Line decided last year to relaunch the movie series centered on the iconic killer, who haunts the dreams of teenagers and kills them in their sleep. Krueger was originally played by Robert Englund in the 1984 original, spawing nine films and two TV series in what was New Line's most lucrative franchise until "The Lord of the Rings."
The relaunch comes on the heels of New Line and Platinum Dunes' rebirth of another horror franchise, "Friday the 13th," which has grossed $65 million domestically since its launch on Friday, Feb. 13.
Haley starred in "Watchmen" as Rorschach and will next be seen opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Phoenix Pictures' "Shutter Island," directed by Martin Scorsese.
Per Variety
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This year's Emmys, give some love for The Shield
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Franco, McBride re-team on comedy 'Pineapple Express' director behind 'Highness'
By MICHAEL FLEMING
James Franco is joining Danny McBride in "Your Highness," the Universal Pictures comedy to be directed by David Gordon Green.
Scott Stuber is producing through his U-based Stuber Co. Pic begins production July 20 in Belfast. Stuber, McBride and Green set the project at U last year (Daily Variety, May 30).
Scripted by McBride and Ben Best, the comedy follows two spoiled and arrogant princes in a medieval fantasy setting. When an evil wizard casts a spell on their father and kidnaps the older prince's fiance, they're forced to go on a quest to save their family and the kingdom.
Stuber Co.'s Jon Mone, McBride and Mark Huffam are executive producers.
Franco starred for Green in Columbia Pictures comedy "Pineapple Express," which also starred McBride.
Last seen in "Milk," Franco plays poet Allen Ginsberg in the Rob Epstein/Jeffrey Friedman-directed "Howl."
Trio in talks for 'Inception' Cotillard, Page, Murphy look to join DiCaprio
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Warner Bros. is in talks with Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy and Ellen Page to join the cast of "Inception," which Christopher Nolan wrote and will direct as his next film.
Leonardo DiCaprio has already been set to star.
WB bought the spec preemptively before other studios got a crack at the material, which kept Warner in business with the filmmaker after smash hit "The Dark Knight" (Daily Variety, Feb. 12).
Production begins this summer for 2010 release.
The subject matter has been kept under tight wraps, with the studio describing the film as a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind.
Nolan will produce with Emma Thomas.
The film is Nolan's first with Cotillard and Page, but he is reteaming with Murphy, who played the villain Scarecrow in "Batman Begins," with a cameo in "The Dark Knight." Murphy just completed "Pea****" and "Perrier's Bounty."
Cotillard will next be seen in the Michael Mann-directed "Public Enemies" and just completed the Rob Marshall-helmed musical "Nine."
Page just teamed with Murphy in "Pea****" and starred in the Drew Barrymore-directed "Whip It!"
Aaron Eckhart runs to 'Rabbit Hole' Nicole Kidman co-stars in film
By DAVE MCNARY
Aaron Eckhart is in talks to star opposite Nicole Kidman in the bigscreen adaptation of David Lindsay-Abaire's Broadway play "Rabbit Hole."
John Cameron Mitchell ("Shortbus") is directing and Kidman's producing through her Fox-based Blossom Films banner. The deal for Eckhart comes two years after Kidman signed on (Daily Variety, Jan. 5, 2007).
Olympus Pictures and Odd Lot Entertainment are financing and producing with Blossom. Besides Kidman, Per Saari will produce with Leslie Urdang and
Dean Vanech of Olympus and with Gigi Pritzker of Odd Lot. Bill Lischak and Linda McDonough will exec produce. A spring start is planned.
Lindsay-Abaire's adapting his story of a happily married couple whose lives are disrupted after their 4-year-old son is killed in a traffic accident and the redemptive journey they must undertake to regain happiness.
Eckhart's starring in "Rum Diary" alongside Johnny Depp, Richard Jenkins and Giovanni Ribisi.
Cast set for Schumacher's 'Twelve' 50 Cent, Sutherland, Culkin onboard
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Gaumont, Radar Pictures and Original Media have set a Joel Schumacher-directed adaptation of the Nick McDonell novel "Twelve."
Pic will star Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Ellen Barkin and Kiefer Sutherland.
Production begins April 20 in New York. Jordan Melamed wrote the script.
In 2002, then 17-year-old McDonell wrote a novel that starkly depicted teenage drug use and decadence on the Upper East Side.
Story follows a high school dropout-turned-drug dealer. His lucrative life sours when the dealer's cousin is brutally murdered on an East Harlem playground and his best friend is arrested for the crime.
Gaumont chairman Sidonie Dumas and CEO Christophe Riandee will produce with Radar CEO Ted Field and Original Media CEO Charlie Corwin. Melamed also will be a producer with Bob Salerno; and Mike Weber will be exec producer.
Radar's Field optioned the novel in 2002, and the project came together with Corwin ("The Squid and the Whale") and Gaumont, which will broker worldwide distribution deals for a film that will be ready for release by winter 2010.
The actress has signed on for the porn-tinged comedy that Adam Sandler co-wrote and is producing with Jack Giarraputo. Longtime Sandler associates Allen Covert and Barry Bernardi also are producing the flick, which Tom Brady is directing.
The story centers on a small-town nerd who stumbles upon a family secret: His quiet and demure parents were famous porn stars in the 1970s. This motivates him to leave Northern Iowa for Hollywood, hoping to follow in their footsteps and fulfill his destiny as the biggest adult-film star in the world.
Ricci, the female lead, is the guy's innocent girlfriend.
Despite Sandler and Giarraputo's involvement, the movie is not a Happy Madison production but rather by porn title-friendly entity Miles Deep Prods. The movie will act as a negative pickup for Sony, which will release it through one of its labels.
Nick Swardson is co-producing.
Principal photography starts at the end of April.
The Endeavor repped Brady co-wrote "The Animal" and co-wrote and directed "The Hot Chick," both produced by Sandler and Giarraputo.
For Ricci, the project marks a return to her more lighthearted beginnings. The actress, repped by ICM and Management 360, has spent the past few years appearing in such dramas as "Black Snake Moan" and "Monster" but began her career in such movies as "Mermaids" and "The Addams Family."
Keaton, Goldblum join 'Glory' Comedy stars Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Diane Keaton and Jeff Goldblum have signed on to join Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams in the comedy "Morning Glory" for Paramount Pictures.
J.J. Abrams is producing the film, which centers on an aspiring news producer (McAdams) who tries to save a failing morning show by getting control of its feuding anchors. Ford and Keaton will play the dueling on-air personalities. Goldblum will portray McAdams' boss.
Roger Michell will direct the pic, which is scheduled to begin lensing next month in New York.
"The Devil Wears Prada" scribe Aline Brosh McKenna penned the screenplay.
Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing for Abrams' Par-based Bad Robot shingle. Sherryl Clark and Guy Riedel are exec producing.
Keaton, who co-starred with McAdams in "The Family Stone," most recently toplined the bank heist comedy "Mad Money."
Goldblum, who just booked a role in Mandate Pictures' "The Baster" alongside Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston, most recently starred in "Adam Resurrected." He also stars as Detective Zach Nichols on "Law and Order: Criminal Intent."
George Lucas' 'Red Tails' adds trio Howard, Gooding, Cranston cast in WWII film
By DAVE MCNARY
Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Bryan Cranston have joined the cast of George Lucas' "Red Tails," the WWII action-adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen.
Thesps join a cast that includes Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Tristan Wilds, Method Man, Lee Tergesen, Ne-Yo, Elijah Kelley, Andre Royo and Jesse Williams.
Anthony Hemingway directs and Lucas is exec producing and financing through his Lucasfilm production company, with Rick McCallum and Charles Floyd Johnson producing. Lensing begins soon in Europe.
John Ridley wrote the script, which revolves around the young pilots who overcame institutional racism in the military to form the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American fighter pilots in U.S. military history. Their planes featured the red-painted tails that give the film its title.
"I've been wanting to do 'Red Tails' for 20 years, and we've finally got the means to showcase the skill of the Tuskegee pilots," Lucas said. "We're working on techniques which will give us the first true look at the aerial dogfighting of the era."
Actress will play Kevin James' wife in Columbia film
By Borys Kit
Maria Bello is in final negotiations to join the all-star comedy cast of Columbia's untitled film project being produced by Adam Sandler and Jack Giarraputo via their Happy Madison shingle.
The script, by Fred Wolf and Sandler, revolves around high school friends who reunite 30 years later. Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Salma Hayek and Maya Rudolph are part of the ensemble.
Bello will play James' wife.
Dennis Dugan ("I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry") is directing, and Barry Bernardi is executive producing. A May start is being eyed.
Bello, repped by CAA and John Carrabino Management, recently starred in indie drama "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor."
